WSU football notebook: Money helping fill Martin Stadium seats

PULLMAN — Increased television money helped Washington State reel in new football coach Mike Leach with the biggest contract in school history, and increased football income helped the Cougars pay off former football coach Paul Wulff.

The Cougars paid Wulff $809,533, including his base salary of $600,000 plus deferred compensation, for firing him with one year left on his five-year contract.

WSU has already received more than $1.8 million in deposits and/or commitments for the premium seats that are under construction at Martin Stadium for the upcoming football season.

All 21 suites and 42 loges have been claimed, including the four largest suites (which hold 24) for $50,000 each. Approximately 700 of the 1,100 least expensive premium seats, the club seats, are still available at $1,700 or $2,000 each.

Football season ticket sales increased substantially after Leach's hiring.

Stewart Mandel of SI.com ranks Leach as the best head coaching hire of the off-season. Leach's hiring was the only one to earn an A-plus grade from Mandel. Ohio State's Urban Meyer came in second with an A.

On the Marks

The Cougars received a verbal commitment from Venice (Calif.) High School wide receiver Gabriel Marks, the only WSU recruit given four stars on the five-star rating scale of Scout.com.

In addition, Dawgman.com (the Washington Huskies branch of Scout.com) reports that four-star cornerback Cedric Dozier is now considering WSU and Washington. Dozier gave a verbal commitment to California in the fall.

The 5-foot-11, 175-pound Marks is the type of smaller, shifty receiver who has traditionally thrived in Leach's pass-happy offensive schemes without having tremendous speed. Scout.com ranks Marks the 39th-best college wide receiver prospect among high school seniors.

According to Cougfan.com, the WSU affiliate of Scout.com, Marks would be just the sixth four- or five-star recruit to sign with the Cougars since 2002. None of the previous five (Aaron Dunn, Gino Simone, Andy Mattingly, Carl Bonnell and Cody Boyd) developed into dominant players. Bonnell transferred to Washington after redshirting one season at WSU.

On the move

Cougfan.com reports that nine of the 19 verbal commits Leach inherited (including Federal Way linebacker Jordan Pulu) are now headed elsewhere for one reason for another, mostly to lower-level conferences. All nine players have been replaced with new commits.

In addition, Leach dismissed defensive tackle T.J. Poloai for an undisclosed violation of team rules. Poloai redshirted as a freshman last season.

The Cougars are expected to sign up to 25 players. High school seniors can sign national letters of intent Feb. 1.

Scout.com ranks WSU's recruiting class 66th (tied with Arizona) among the 120 teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision, and last in the Pac-12.

National champion Alabama is ranked No. 1 nationally. UCLA is first in the Pac-12 at No. 10, followed by conference champion Oregon at No. 11. Washington is 39th.

Belford hired

Jason Belford, a former Lincoln High and Eastern Washington University standout, has been named defensive line coach at Weber State.

Belford was a graduate assistant coach at Washington State the past two seasons. Weber's new head coach is former WSU assistant John L. Smith. Ex-WSU player and assistant coach Jody Sears is expected to be named Weber's defensive coordinator.